Marketing – How to Profit from Emerging Human Behaviors

One of the traits successful businesspeople share is the ability to see the big picture. That’s true in marketing, too.

So a marketing thesis caught my eye: “5 marketing megatrends you can’t ignore” by Adam Kleinberg. He’s the CEO of Traction in San Francisco.

He points out that everyone is seemingly aware of trends including Twitter, the baby boomer passion for home renovation or that green is cool.

But he contends it’s best to understand the big picture. I agree. It’s one of the complaints my clients have often voiced about their employees or vendors. Their typical comments: “People don’t understand what’s at stake or they don’t understand my vision.”

Mr. Kleinberg certainly gets it. He understands that many companies have not capitalized on what he calls the “5 marketing megatrends you can’t ignore.”

Businesses broadcast their value propositions, target their niches and distinguish themselves from competitors.

My sense of his argument is that most do not forecast emerging human behavior, tastes and leverage trends to be relevant. That means better understanding the big picture.

His five mega trends:

Mass collaboration is powering the new economy – He explains how some businesses are innovating to create better products almost by consensus with stakeholders outside their companies. He calls it the “collaborative economy.”

“A fundamental shift has occurred in which brands have become a conversation — and audiences have just as much of a say in the shape of that dialogue as marketing directors and agency copywriters, he wrote.

He singles out Apple for good reason. The results speak for themselves. Apple customers are fiercely loyal.

Constant connectivity in an on-demand world – He suggests Millenials only know about instant gratification.

He’s right. For them, everything is on demand – they’re instantly and constantly wired. They only know technology.

I would add the word, mobile, to describe the phenomenon.

He cites Sprint for its “now” concept. Sprint is making inroads to being synonymous with “get what you want now.”

Globalization: Making the world a smaller place – He reminds us that globalization is a permanent. It’s not going away. We’re all globally interconnected.

Candidly, in studying the visitors’ data for this Biz Coach Web site, I’ve been amazed at its national and global reach – not just the locations of my site’s users but how certain columns attract readers and why bloggers re-post certain Biz Coach topics.

Unions don’t seem to get this global concept and complain about offshoring of jobs. Yes, I have a lot of empathy, but one of the emerging trends is that more and more people are enjoying their abilities to empower themselves.

Mr. Kleinberg understands and makes this suggestion: “The recession has left millions of Americans out of work, many wondering what their next move should be. Today, they can start their own global business from the comfort of their living room.”

As a company example that understands what’s taking place, Mr. Kleinberg suggests Alibaba.com and discloses it’s a client of his:

“It’s a website that helps small and medium-sized businesses around the world find suppliers or manufacturers for virtually any product or service they might need. Alibaba.com makes it possible for virtually anyone with a laptop and an idea to find a supplier half a world away to help them build a business. The site has 42 million members, and the company has grown from 18 employees to 10,000 in a decade,” he wrote.

“Does our economic situation have you infuriated with corporate America? Do you feel like the jerks on Wall Street and the incompetents in Detroit almost destroyed this country’s financial system to line their own pockets? Do you trust big banks to have your best interests in mind?”

He adds: “If you answered ‘yes, yes, no,’ to the above, you’re not alone.”

He contends that the brand that gets it is Ally Bank, and quotes the company’s advertising propaganda:

“We are Ally Bank, built on the foundation of GMAC Financial Services. And with that experience we’ve learned that these times demand change and a new way of doing business. So we’re taking banking in a new direction…That means talking straight, doing right and being obviously better for our customers.”

A global sense of urgency to fix the problems of a modern world – He asserts going green has become an immediate priority:

“Being green is a minimum standard…But being green is symptomatic of another megatrend that is influencing the world on a massive scale — a global sense of urgency,” he wrote.

Which company does he cite? IBM.

“IBM has wrapped its big blue arms around the massive sense of urgency that is sweeping the globe with its campaign for ‘A Smarter Planet’,” he wrote.

“Advertising is only evil when it advertises evil things.”-David Ogilvy

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.